Holiday weekend starts

The dash out of New York City apparently has begun.

For those of you not from the Poughkeepsie area, we are about a two-hour train ride from Manhattan.

And people are taking their dogs with them, according to this news item from Gannett News Service, with additional reporting by Capo's Sarah.

I e-mailed my friend Gretchen who has traveled up here with cat in tow — well, not so much a tow as a carrier — about the wisdom of allowing cats on trains without the safety of a carrier of some sort.

She said at the very least the cat should be on a leash, in case it decides to jump out of your arms and make for a hiding spot on the train.

But then again, we all remember Torpedo, so I think that a carrier is definitely in order, if not for the safety of the kitty, but for the safety of the owner. Nobody likes to commute on blood stains.

Remember: cats are not dogs

Mister Zi in Colorado Springs, Colo., likes to be walked on the leash. Here's a story about the perambulating feline from the Colorado Springs Gazette.

My friend Gretchen in Manhattan used to walk her first cat Louise on a leash in the park around the American Museum of Natural History to great effect. We even sat in Riverside Park while Louise made herself comfortable in nearby trees.

Here's a clip that shows the downside of cat v. leash. I would have thrown in the towel much sooner than this guy.

Anyone have any experience with the use of leashes with cats?